This invention relates to an oily sand cleaning system, and in particular to a sand handling apparatus for use in such a system.
Heavy oil production presents the problem of disposal of oily sand waste products. The heavy oil enters a treating facility via a pressurized treater for cleaning the oil to pipeline specifications. The treaters are routinely desanded, i.e. sand is removed from the treaters and placed in pits. A backhoe and trucks regularly transfer the oily sand to an ecology pit. The volume of sand contributes to high wear and maintenance problems on the treaters and associated sand handling equipment. Conventionally, disposal of the products is effected by spreading the products on roads near production facilities. The time and equipment involved in this process contribute significantly to higher operating costs. The development of heavy oil resources is expected to increase significantly in the future with a corresponding increase in the quantities of oily sand waste. Eventually there will not be a sufficient number of roads near production facilities to permit economical disposal.
The object of the present invention is to overcome the above identified problems by providing a relatively simple apparatus for recovering sand from a tank used to separate sand from oil and water.